I was also diagnosed in 2012 and has surgery in 2013. I continue on meds and have many health issues still. I haven’t had a full recovery and dramatic weight loss or anything. I’m now starting to regret surgery as it has left me very limited in what I can do. I was far more mobile before. I miss my life. I’ve lost everything since having surgery!

I, too, was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor and subsequently had surgery to remove it. I still struggle day to day with many issues…word finding, comprehension, emotions. I also struggle with finding Cushings disease support groups in our area.

A simple test that measures free cortisol levels in saliva at midnight — called a midnight salivary cortisol test — showed good diagnostic performance for Cushing’s syndrome among a Chinese population, according to a recent study. The test was better than the standard urine free cortisol levels and may be an alternative for people with end-stage kidney disea […]

Your case is every similar to mine. I wasn’t a dancer but I did play multiple sports in high school and played college basketball. I saw doctor Yuen at Swedish as well and many more doctors as well. I have never got my case or my symptoms solved. Over 4 years of doctors and testing. They found I had a pituitary tumor and mildly high cortisol in my 24 hour Ur […]

Thanks for sharing your story. In February it will be 6 years since I’ve had my pituitary surgery. My health is constantly up and down as well. I was just wondering if you’re treated for depression or anxiety at all? Also, have you found any exercises or physical therapy to be helpful?

Jill wrote: 'In December 2004 my dad who had addison's for over 30 years had a triple bypass surgery 6 days before Christmas. The surgery was an amazine success and it was predicted he would be home before Christmas. Day 2 following surgery the hospital neglected to give him his steriods for his Addison's for 22 hours, which they were complete […]

A man with Cushing’s disease — caused by an adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenoma — who later developed metastases in the central nervous system without Cushing’s recurrence, was successfully treated over eight years with radiation and chemotherapy, according to a case report.

While Cushing’s rarely occurs in women during pregnancy, high cortisol levels can lead to major complications for both the mother and the fetus, such as premature birth and high fetal mortality.

However, it can be difficult to diagnose pathological hypercortisolism in these women as the symptoms might resemble other diseases that commonly occur during pregnancy, such as preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy) and gestational diabetes.

Unfortunately, there are no effective long-term medical therapies for Cushing’s. The most definitive therapy is the surgical removal of the pituitary or adrenal adenoma, if that is the case of hypercortisolism.

The case report details that a 29-year old women in the 27th week of pregnancy presented to the Ghaem Hospital clinic in Mashhad, Iran, with edema, weakness, and hypertension. Her symptoms also included truncal obesity, moon face (her face had a rounded appearance), purple steria on her upper and lower limbs and abdomen, excessive edema, and wet skin.

At first, she was hospitalized for suspected preeclampsia, but the diagnosis was later excluded.

The patient’s hormonal profile showed high levels of 24-hour urine cortisol. There were also low levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which results from a negative feedback due to excessive cortisol. However, plasma cortisol is generally elevated during pregnancy, and therefore may not be the best method for diagnosis.

An abdominal ultrasonography revealed a well-defined mass in the right adrenal gland.

While hospitalized, the patient experienced two crises of blood pressure, and while preeclampsia was ruled out, the physicians could find no more plausible explanation than eclampsia (the onset of seizures in a women with preeclampsia).

Since eclampsia was suspected, the physicians terminated the pregnancy at 28th week of gestation using misoprostol. The woman delivered a male infant weighing 1.94 pounds.

Two days after birth, the physicians conducted a computed tomography (CT) scan and again found a mass in the right adrenal gland.

As a result, the patient underwent a laparoscopic right adrenalectomy to remove the mass one week after giving birth. The patient’s blood pressure normalized and cortisol levels declined. Her condition remained stable after surgery.

“Cushing’s syndrome should be considered in hypertensive pregnant patients with remarkable signs of hypercortisolism,” the researchers concluded. “The best results would be achieved through a collaboration between obstetricians, endocrinologists, and surgeons.”

In a case report published online January 19 in Pediatrics, iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is described in a 9-year-old girl who received topical ocular glucocorticoid (GC) treatment for bilateral iridocyclitis.

Daisuke Fukuhara, MD, PhD, from the Kyorin University School of Medicine in Mitaka, Japan, and colleagues present the case of a 9-year-old girl suffering from idiopathic uveitis. She arrived at the ophthalmology department with a complaint of painful eyes, and was diagnosed with bilateral iridocyclitis and started on betamethasone sodium phosphate eye drop treatment.

The authors note that the patient was referred to the pediatric department with stunted growth, truncal obesity, purple skin striae, buffalo hump, and moon face six months after initiation of topical ocular GC treatment. She was diagnosed with iatrogenic CS as her serum cortisol and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone levels were undetectable. The clinical symptoms of CS were improved after the doses of topical ocular GC were reduced. On genetic analysis, the patient was found to have a single heterozygous nucleotide substitution in the 3′ untranslated region of the NR3C1 gene.

“However, additional investigations are required to determine if our findings can be extrapolated to other patients,” the authors write. “In conclusion, clinicians should be aware that even extremely low doses of topical ocular steroid therapy can cause iatrogenic CS.”

Cushing’s Syndrome (sometimes called hypercortisolism) is a hormonal disease caused by an abnormally high level of the hormone cortisol in the body. This may arise because of an endogenous or exogenous source of cortisol. Endogenous causes include the elevated production of cortisol by the adrenal glands, while exogenous causes include the excessive use of cortisol or other similar steroid (glucocorticoid) hormones over a prolonged period of time.

The adrenal glands are situated just above each kidney, and form part of the endocrine system. They have numerous functions such as the production of hormones called catecholamines, which includes epinephrine and norepinephrine. Interestingly, the outer layer (cortex) of the adrenal glands has the distinct responsibility of producing cortisol. This hormone is best known for its crucial role in the bodily response to stress.

At physiologically appropriate levels, cortisol is vital in maintaining normal sleep-wake cycles, and acts to increase blood sugar levels. It suppresses the immune system, regulates the effect of insulin on the metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, and help with the homeostasis of water in the body.

Exogenous corticosteroids can also lead to Cushing’s syndrome, when they are used as a form of long-term treatment for various medical conditions. In fact, the long-term use of steroid medication is the most common reason for the development of Cushing’s syndrome.

Prednisolone is the most commonly prescribed steroid medicine. It belongs to a class of medicine that is sometimes used to treat conditions such as certain forms of arthritis and cancer. Other uses include the rapid and effective reduction of inflammation in conditions such as asthma and multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as the treatment of autoimmune conditions such as lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Overall, Cushing’s syndrome is quite uncommon and affects approximately 1 in 50,000 people. Most of them are adults between the ages of 20 and 50. Women are 3 times more commonly affected than men. Additionally, patients who are obese, or those who have type 2 diabetes with poorly controlled blood sugar and blood pressure show a greater predisposition to the disorder.

Symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome

There are numerous symptoms associated with Cushing’s syndrome, which range from muscle weakness, hypertension, curvature of the spine (kyphosis), osteoporosis, and depression, to fatigue Specific symptoms which pertain to the skin are as follows:

Thinning of the skin and other mucous membranes: the skin becomes dry and bruises easily. Cortisol causes the breakdown of some dermal proteins along with the weakening of small blood vessels. In fact, the skin may become so weak as to develop a shiny, paper-thin quality which allows it to be torn easily.

Increased susceptibility of skin to infections

Poor wound healing of bruises, cuts, and scratches

Spots appear on the upper body, that is, on the face, chest or shoulders

Darkened skin which is seen on the neck

Wide, red-purple streaks (at least half an inch wide) called striae which are most common on the sides of the torso, the lower abdomen, thighs, buttocks, arms, and breasts, or in areas of weight gain. The accumulation of fat caused by Cushing’s syndrome stretches the skin which is already thin and weakened due to cortisol action, causing it to hemorrhage and stretch permanently, healing by fibrosis.

Acne: this can develop in patients of all ages.

Swollen ankles: this is caused by the accumulation of fluid, called edema.

A 37-year-old woman developed clinical manifestations of Cushing’s syndrome over a span of 2 years. Physical examination revealed features that best describe Cushing’s syndrome, such as wide purple striae (>1 cm) over the abdomen, facial plethora and easy bruisability.1 Other features observed were hypertension, moon facies, acne, a dorsocervical fat pad, central obesity and dyslipidaemia.

The diagnosis of hypercortisolism was confirmed using a 1 mg overnight dexamethasone suppression test (19.7 ng/dL, N: <1.8) and 24 h urine free cortisol (185.9 μg/24 h, N: 3.5–45). A suppressed adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level (4 pg/mL, N: 5–20) and a lack of hyperpigmentation suggested ACTH-independent Cushing’s syndrome. Further work up using CT with contrast of the adrenals showed a 2.4×2.3×2.4 cm right adrenal mass. The patient then underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy of the right adrenal gland. Steroids was started postoperatively and tapered over time. Histopathology results were consistent with an adrenocortical adenoma (2.5 cm widest dimension). Six months after surgery, there was resolution of the physical features, weight loss and improvement in blood pressure.

Figure 1 is a serial photograph of the physical features seen in Cushing’s syndrome, such as moon facies, a dorsocervical fat pad and wide purple striae, taken preoperatively, and at 3 and 6 months after surgery. With treatment, physical and biochemical changes of Cushing’s syndrome both resolve through time.2 The time course of the resolution of these changes, however, is varied.2,3 We observed that the physical features were ameliorated at 3 months and resolved at 6 months.

Learning points

Physicians as well as patients should be aware that improvement of the features of Cushing’s syndrome after treatment does not occur immediately.

Dramatic resolution of the physical features of Cushing’s syndrome, however, can be observed as early as 6 months after surgery.

Physical features of Cushing’s syndrome (top to bottom: moon facies, a dorsocervical fat pad and wide purple striae (>1 cm) over the abdomen) documented before surgery, and at 3 and 6 months after surgery.

Abstract

Endogenous pathologic hypercortisolism, or Cushing’s syndrome, is associated with poor quality of life, morbidity and increased mortality. Early diagnosis may mitigate against this natural history of the disorder.

The clinical presentation of Cushing’s syndrome varies, in part related to the extent and duration of cortisol excess. When hypercortisolism is severe, its signs and symptoms are unmistakable. However, most of the signs and symptoms of Cushing’s syndrome are common in the general population (e.g. hypertension and weight gain) and not all are present in every patient.

In addition to classical features of glucocorticoid excess, such as proximal muscle weakness and wide purple striae, patients may present with the associated co-morbidities that are caused by hypercortisolism. These include cardiovascular disease, thromboembolic disease, psychiatric and cognitive deficits, and infections. As a result, internists and generalists must consider Cushing’s syndrome as a cause, and endocrinologists should search for and treat these co-morbidities.

Recommended tests to screen for Cushing’s syndrome include 1 mg dexamethasone suppression, urine free cortisol and late night salivary cortisol. These may be slightly elevated in patients with physiologic hypercortisolism, which should be excluded, along with exogenous glucocorticoid use. Each screening test has caveats and the choice of tests should be individualized based on each patient’s characteristics and lifestyle.

The objective of this review was to update the readership on the clinical and biochemical features of Cushing’s syndrome that are useful when evaluating patients for this diagnosis.